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Lincoln, No. 3 Taunton shut out No. 2 KP in Division I Final Four
DARTMOUTH— When Taunton fell 1-0 in 10 innings to King Philip last month, dashing the Tigers hopes for an undefeated season and guaranteeing they’d have to share the Hockomock Kelley-Rex with the Warriors, coach Michelle Raposo knew there were positives her team could take out of the disappointment.
“I told the kids earlier in the season that that loss was a good loss,” Raposo said. “It humbled us a little bit, it dialed us in and we refocused ourselves a little bit.”
Since then, the No. 2 Tigers (23-1) have won five straight while scoring a combined 36-3 and exacted their revenge on rivals No. 3 KP (23-2) with a 2-0 win Tuesday to book their spot in the Division I championship game for the third year in a row.
“These kids come up when we need them,” Raposo said. “They were huge today and they were ready to play, they were determined, they dug deep and they made it work.”
Leading the way in the circle for Taunton was Sam Lincoln, who earned the win for the Tigers after going all seven shutout innings giving up three hits and a walk while striking out 11.
“Sam did a great job on the mound,” Raposo said. “She was dialed in, she had a slightly hurt finer still but she relies on her team and knows that the defense is behind her so she just goes in, holds her composure and throws what she can throw. We were squeezed a lot in the game so she made some good adjustments throughout and got (KP) to chase a little bit.”
As for Lincoln, to send her team to their third straight title game while avenging their earlier loss to the Warriors was all the more sweeter.
“It feels really great,” Lincoln said. “We’ve been battling with them all season. We won one then lost one and today was our get back and it felt great.”
On the other side, McCoy Walsh found herself on the wrong end of a pitchers’ duel as she went all seven innings giving up two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out nine.
The only runs of the game came in the top of the fourth inning when down two outs and with Ava Venturelli on second after being walked and then advancing via a sacrifice bunt by Kaysie DeMoura, Hayley Krockta broke up Walsh’s no-hitter with a double that dropped just short of the diving Charlotte Raymond in right field to bring Venturelli home and give the Tigers the lead.
“It felt really, really great,” Krockta said of giving her team the go-ahead run. “Running up the first base line I was yelling ‘fall in, fall in, fall in’ because I knew (Venturelli) was on and I hoped to at least push her over (to third). In that at-bat, I knew McCoy (Walsh) is really good and she had been working us in and out, so I was hoping for something on the outside I could drive but she came in on the inside so I just put a little barrel on it and let in fall in.”
Krockta herself came home an at-bat later courtesy of a Brooke Aldrich single to left to make things 2-0.
“All I kept saying to the kids was put the ball in play,” Raposo said. “When we put the ball in play, we make things happen. In the book, nobody knows what kind of hit you hit. It’s a single in the book that scores you some runs and I commend our kids for making adjustments and making it work.”
As for Lincoln, the two runs gave her just enough of a cushion in a tight game to give her some breathing room as she locked in, striking out eight of the final 14 batters she faced.
“It took a lot of pressure off of me,” Lincoln said. “I pitched a little looser and everything was more relaxed after that point.”
Also helping Lincoln was the energy level coming from her teammates on the field and on the bench, who stayed loud from warmups until the final out.
“Our energy was great today,” Lincoln said. “We were ready for this game from the jump. We talked about it at practice and we’ve been hyped and ready to go. I had trust in every single person that stepped on this field today.”
The Warriors staged a comeback effort in the bottom of the sixth as Jo Bennett led off the inning to a single and Libby Walsh doubled to put two runners in scoring position with two outs before Lincoln struck out Raymond to strand the pair.
An inning later, KP nearly led off the inning with another hit courtesy of Ava Kelley but were denied by a diving catch by Mia Torres in right field, a catch which Raposo was confident in her capability to make.
“Fortunately that’s my kid, so I have all the belief in the world in her catching abilities out there in right field,” Raposo said. “Unbelievable play right there that motivates the team.”
Motivate them it certainly did as Taunton got Petrillo to ground out to short and Lincoln struck out Maddie Paschka to seal the deal and book the Tigers’ trip to Amherst to defend their Division I crown once again, something which Raposo knows is an accomplishment in itself.
“I won two state championships back-to-back (in high school),” Raposo said. “It’s so hard to win a three peat. It’s rarely done and it’s never been done at Taunton High so to come this far and make it here is an accomplishment in itself. This is successful for them, I’m proud of them and I keep telling them this is success. We want it all, but either way, let’s look at how far we’ve come.”
The Tigers will face No. 1 Central Catholic (23-1) Saturday in the championship game at UMass’s Sortino Field at a time to be determined. As with every game, Raposo said her approach is the same.
“I go one game at a time, so we’re just going to refocus and go into it like it’s any other game,” Raposo said. “We’re going to pitch our game, we’re going to rely on our defense and our offense.”
As for the players, they can’t wait to go out and try to complete the three-peat.
“I’m ready to get practicing tomorrow and I’m ready to go win it all,” Lincoln said.
Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.
